I Am the Weakest Link
by Hollyleaf6
Summary: Tony gave a mock salute, flashed a quick smile, then toppled over the edge. "Goodbye!"


**AN: Have some angst. Lots of angst. **  
**Disclaimer: I disclaim! I DISCLAIM!**

Tony was on the roof.

Of course he was on the roof he had said he would be. Well, not exactly. Tony had said he would be on the ground 108 stories below the roof but he wouldn't be taking the stairs.

As Steve rushed out from the door he was faced by Tony, who raised his hands high as if asking for applause. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Well look who came to watch the show. Pretty fast, too."

Tony whirled around so his back was turned. He leaned against the roof's railing. "I suppose you're going to try to tell me not to do it?"

Steve suddenly found it hard to speak. He wanted to rush forwards but he couldn't move. It was like some invisible being was holding him down.

Tony shrugged and leaned farther over the balustrade to stare down at the ground below. "Not a word, huh? I guess you really did come to just watch."

Steve managed to choke out one word. "Why?"

Tony laughed at this, but the laugh held no mirth. "Why? Well my dear Captain, let me tell you a story. It all began with Howard Stark. You see, he never really liked me. I was really only ever a way to carry on the family name, to keep the company going. No, I was just a replacement for the son he'd already had. And lost. You were Howard Stark's real son, at least in his eyes."

Tony did not move a muscle, still dangerously close to falling. "Of course when he died I was rather relieved. No more vying for the affections of a man who's thoughts all turned to one already dead."

The speech held a practised quality to them. How many times had Tony planned out this scene? Steve did not want to think.

Tony let out a sigh and turned his head to meet Steve's gaze. The billionaire's face was a mask, carefully hiding whatever pent up emotions milled behind his eyes. "And don't even get me started on this...team. I am clearly the most vulnerable of all of us. No powers, no training, no experiment-induced strength or a great big monster to protect me. Just a suit. A suit that might as well just go do all the heroics itself, which I could probably get it to do. This team never really needed me. Just an iron suit and missiles and weapons."

Steve's heart crawled into his throat. He knew now what was coming.

"You were right, Captain. I'm nothing without that suit of mine. I am...I am the most useless part of the team. The most disposable," Tony's eyes flickered to the sky and then, without the slightest amount of warning, he flung himself up over the railing so that he was clinging to the flimsy metal bars and the quarter foot of concrete hanging over the streets far, far below.

Steve suddenly found that he could move and he lurched forwards, only to see Tony let go of the balusters with one hand.

"You see Steve, I am the weakest link," Tony gave a mock salute, flashed a quick smile, then toppled over the edge. "Goodbye!"

Steve was now reaching over the railing, as if he could catch Tony. Steve was yelling, he knew he was but he couldn't hear it. All he knew was Tony, falling spread-eagled, looking to all the people below like he was trying to fly.

In a flash Tony was no longer falling. He was just gone. No body on the ground, no sign that Tony had just thrown himself off the roof of his tower.

Metallic laughter sounded from behind Steve. The soldier watched as Iron Man flew around Steve to hover in the air before him. The faceplate moved up and instead of an empty suit there was Tony Stark, laughing. "Oh, you should have seen your face. You really thought...oh, that's cute Rogers."

Steve was struck into silence. It was all...a prank? A joke? What the hell was Tony doing? Steve looked down at the crumpled note in his hand. It read:

'Dear whoever cares,  
Whatever you think, it's not your fault. Mostly. I mean, you probably did some trivial thing that helped me choose what I'm about to do, or what I guess I've already done, but it was probably not your fault.  
I do have one last thing to say, before I do what I will. Before I fall to the ground, and go splat. Okay? One last thing...'

Tony still kept up his monologue. "...of course I would never actually do that, I would probably chicken out at the last min-"

"You did."

"What?"

"This wasn't a joke. You meant to do this, then decided not to at the last moment. You were wearing your summoning bracelets just in case."

Tony's mask flickered and for a moment, fear was evident in his eyes. "Why do you say that?"

Steve took a deep breath. "Because at the end, you said you loved me. You would never put that down for a joke."

'I'm in love with Steven Rogers.  
Goodbye and live longer than me.  
-Anthony Stark'

Tony's breath rattled and he landed lightly on the rooftop. "You got me. So are you going to out me to the rest of the team? Force me to leave the Avengers? Push me off this building yourself for ever daring to be gay for the grand Captain America?"

Steve stepped forwards and placed his hands on Tony's armoured shoulders. "Why would I do that?"

Tony's gaze carefully avoided Steve. "Because you hate me. Because I'm an arrogant prick who can't spend a week without getting drunk at least four times. Because I'm useless for everything except building weapons of mass destruction. Because I don't deserve to live."

"You do. You do deserve to live. You are amazing Tony and I...I love you."

Suddenly Tony found death to be much less desirable.

FINIS


End file.
